Means for moving and controlling the motion of machinery



Feb. 15, 1949. c, BRERETON 2,461,877

MEANS FOR MOVING-AND CONTROLLING THE MOTION OF MACHINERY Filed Aug. 13, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 .iflwnl'ar C hrislo'pher E'Brerefon Br 9- A aew rs Feb. 15, 1949. c, BRERETON 2,461,877

MEANS FOR MOVING AND CONTROLLING THE MOTION OF MACHINERY Filed Aug. 13, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I n uen tor C hristopher EBrerefo/r a, 2% 9 6a AGENTS Feb. 15, 1949. BRERETQN 2,461,877

MEANS FOR MOVING AND CONTROLLING THE MOTION 0F MACHINERY Filed Aug. 13, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor C hrisfoph er F Brerelan Acaw Ts Feb. 15, 1949. c BRERETON, 2,461,877

MEANS FOR MOVING AND CONTROLLING THE MOTION OF MACHINERY Filed Aug. 13, 1947 4 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG 4. Q

inventor CfirzLsfap/rer/Tfireretofl I 87/ 4 9- AGENT:

smaller bore than the cylinders 22 and 24 of the machine A, but of larger bore than the smaller diameter cylinders 23 and 25 of this latter machine, the single pair cylinder machine B having its cylinders under constant pressure via conduits 3 la and 32a in common with the smaller diameter cylinders 23 and 25 of the other machine A connected via conduits 23a and 25a to the pressure source. In this connection, although in the drawings the supply to the machines A and B is shown as apparently coming from the I same source, in practice in order to avoid flexible parts in the pipe lines, the machines can be converted to distinctive sources of supply.

Normally, by reason of the two cylinders 21 and 28 of machine B being under constant hydraulic pressure their opposed ends will abut against the said intermediate stop 34 and thereby remain in a balanced position. In this position the opposed ends of-the two cylinders also abut against a lug 9a depending from the rack bar 9 which extends parallel with the two cylinders and inmesh with the gear wheel I of the associated aforesaid train of gear wheels meshing with the annulus of the'turntable 3, that is to say both of the two cylinders act as stops to prevent endwise displacement of this rack bar until the other machine A, is brought into operation.

The machine A also has depending from its rack bar 8 a lug 8a interposed between the opposite ends of the cylinder blocks I3 and I4.

' It will be apparent from the foregoing, that when the turntable is positioned in one terminal position, the machine B will have its two co-axial cylinders 21 and 28 bearing against the fixed stop 34 on the guide bar 33 andthe stop 9a depending from the rack bar 9 as shown in Figure 1, so that this rack bar is located in its centre position with i respect to the machine B. At this stage the larger diameter cylinders 22 and 24 of the machine A are connected to exhaust, and their associated smaller diameter cylinders 23 and 25, under the influence of constant pressure, cause one of the cylinder blocks, (e. g. the block I4 as shown) to bear idly against the fixed stop I I, whilst the 5 other cylinder block I3 is maintained in engagement with the lug 8a depending from the rack bar 8, but is unable to move the rack bar by reason of the greater power in the cylinders 27 and 28 of the machine B. On hydraulic pressure being admitted to the I appropriate one of the larger diameter cylinders of the machine A, i. e. the cylinder 22, the control of the turntable passes to this machine, the

combined power of the two cylinders 22 and 23 of by reason of the transmission of drive through the rack bar 9 and lug 9a of this machine, so that the two stops 34 and 9a and the two cylinders 21 and 28 are spaced apart, the cylinder 21 engaging the fixed stop 34 and the other cylinder receiving the driving pressure of the translatively movable stop 9a. On again connecting both of cylinders 22 and 24 of the machine A to exhaust .the machine B will again take control via cylinder 28 and return the turntable to the position shown in Figure 1 in which the cycle of operations is -readyto be re-commenced. I a

As a modification of the foregoing arrangement --the stops Hand 34, previously referred to as fixed to the guide bars I 5 and 33, can be adjusta ble along the guide bars, e. g. as shown in Figures 3 and 4 two guide bars I5 and 33 can be secured across a suitable base frame III in parallel relationship, and have threaded thereon nuts 35 acting as adjustable abutments for collars 31 on the bars and formed with grooved heads 38 slidable along guides 39, the collars 3'! carrying the stops I1 and 34. The said two rack bars 8 and 9 can engage, diametrically opposite points of a common gear wheel I' fixed to a shaft Ia to be driven by the hydraulic power control, it being understood that in both of these embodiments the hydraulic pressure fluid is applied to :the working spaces of the cylinders through bores in the rams or pistons of such cylinders, which rams or pistons are fixed in relation to end brackets or plates.

The cycle of operations of the apparatus shown in Figures 3 and 4 can be the same as that apply- .ing to the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2,

but it will be evident, by reference to Figure 4, that by adjusting the stops I1 and 34 the efiective stroke of the driving cylinders can be varied and likewise the direction of the drive of the shaft Ia for a given machine A or B can be changed, e. g. instead of the machine A driving the shaft Ia or the turntable I in the anticlockwise direction it can also drive the machine in :the reverse direction.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the invention can be adapted for controlling the linear movement of hoists, furnace charging arms and the like, e. g. .the gear wheel I can drive a rack bar, or being connected by eccentric or crank and link to a reciprocating or intermittently fed uni-directionally slidable arm.

I claim:

1. In hydraulic power apparatus for imparting movements to a mass feeding mechanism, or other driven device alternately in opposite directions or intermittently in adesired direction, the provision of two separate fluid pressure operated driving units each having a distinctive device operatively connecting it to the mass to be driven,

- one of said units having a power output less than the other so that it will yield to such other unit when under load and being adapted to be permanently connected to the source of fluid pressure so as to be maintained in permanent operative connection with its associated device connecting it to the mass to be driven, and the other unit being adapted to be alternately connected to the pressure and exhaust, and having combined with it fluid pressure operated means to maintain it in operative engagement with the appropriate device transmitting its drive to the mass and yieldingly opposing operation of the said unitwhich is adapted to be permanently connected to the source of fluid pressure.

2. Hydraulic power apparatus for imparting movements to a mass feeding mechanism or other driven device, alternately in opposite directions or intermittently in a desired direction, comprising hydraulic pressure operated means adapted to be connected operatively constantly to the source of hydraulic pressure, a further hydraulic pressure operated means adapted to be connected alternately to the source of hydraulic fluid pressure and to exhaust, and yieldingly opposed by the aforesaid means when connected to the source of hydraulic fluid pressure and adapted to drive the support or driver in the direction opposed to that obtaining by the operation of the first-mentioned means, the second-mentioned hydraulic means having combined with it hydraulic fluid pressure operated means constantly under the influence of hydraulic pressure and functioning to maintain operative connection between the second-mentioned hydraulic means and the mass, and the power output of the firstmentioned means exceeding that of the thirdmentioned means, whereby upon connecting the second-mentioned means to operative hydraulic fluid pressure a power bias is introduced which will overcome the load and the power of the firstmentioned means to drive the support or driver, and conversely upon connecting said secondmentioned means to exhaust, control is taken over by the first-mentioned means to return the support or driver to its previous position against the influence of the third-mentioned hydraulic fluid pressure operated means.

3. Hydraulic power apparatus for imparting movements to a mass feeding mechanism or other driven device, alternately in opposite directions or intermittently in a desired direction comprising a rotary driven element and two hydraulic engines connected to said driven element and adapted to be operated alternately so that one imparts rotation to the rotary element in one direction and the other engine in the counter-direction, the connection from each engine to the rotary element comprising a slidable driver operatively connected to the rotary element and having an abutment adapted to receive the driving load from the appropriate hydraulic engine, each hydraulic engine comprising a pair of opposed rams adapted in one stage to simultaneously engage the said abutment and a normally fixed stop also interposed between the opposed ends of the rams, the pair of rams appropriate to one machine having a greater capacity and power output than the pair of rams appropriate to the other machine and having combined with them a pair of auxiliary rams having a lesser capacity and power output than the latter mentioned pair of rams, the maximum capacity rams being adapted to be alternately connected to the source of supply of hydraulic pressure fluid and to exhaust, whilst all of the remaining rams are adapted to be permanently connected to the said source, the arrangement being such that when the abutment of the slidable driver and associated stop on one machine are both engaged by the opposed ends of the rams on opposite sides thereof, the corresponding abutment and stop of the other machine are spaced apart with a corre-' sponding spacing of the op osed rams of such machine and the associated stop engaged by one ram and the associated abutment engaged by the other ram of such machine, the said pair of auxiliary rams serving to maintain engagement between their associated maximum capacity rams and the associated stop and abutment and yield- Number ingly opposing displacement of such abutment away from the stop when both of the maximum capacity rams are connected to exhaust and the REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 1,000,784 Cumming Aug. 15, 1911 

